Southern Africa – Tropical Storm Eloise Flash Update No.2, As of 19 January 2021
Format
HIGHLIGHTS
• Tropical Storm Eloise, which has strengthened since 18 January, has made landfall near the north-eastern coastal town of Antalaha, Madagascar, in the evening of 19 January.
• Tropical Storm Eloise is expected to bring heavy rains to affected districts of Madagascar before re-emerging in the Mozambique Channel on 21 January and strengthening—potentially into a Tropical Cyclone—as it moves towards southern Mozambique.
• Government and humanitarian actors in both countries remain on high alert and have activated mechanisms at national and local levels for a possible response.
SITUATION OVERVIEW
Tropical Storm Eloise has made landfall near the north-eastern town of Antalaha, Madagascar, in the evening of 19 January, according to MeteoFrance. The storm is expected to bring heavy rains, which could generate floods and landslides in northern Madagascar. Eloise is a “dangerous system with heavy rains that can last for more than 24 hours and strong winds”, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Ahead of the storm’s landfall, Meteo Madagascar placed multiple regions on the country’s north-eastern coast—Sava, Analanjirofo, Bealanana, Befandriana Avaratra and Mandritsara—on red alert (‘imminent danger’).